That Famed Rock

Park Hopping Along The Illinois For History With A View

May 15, 1994|By Don Davenport. Special to the Tribune.

UTICA, Ill. — Starved Rock would make a dandy place for a fort. The explorer La Salle thought so. In 1682, he built tiny Fort St. Louis atop the Illinois River bluff the French called "Le Rocher"-The Rock.

It became known as Starved Rock in the 1760s when, according to tradition, a band of Illiniwek warriors, trapped on the summit by a Potawatomi war party, chose starvation rather than surrender.

Today, it's the centerpiece of northern Illinois' Starved Rock State Park, where soaring sandstone bluffs and deep, moss-lined canyons stretch along the south bank of the Illinois River for nearly 5 miles.

The park is a five-minute drive south of Utica on Illinois Highway 178. My companion and I stopped first at the park visitor center, which offers trail maps and exhibits about the park's cultural and natural history. Then, like most of the 1.5 million people who visit the park each year, we set off to see the famed rock.

A short walk brought us to the base of the bluff and a wooden stairway leading to the summit, 125 feet above the river. At the top, a wooden walkway, complete with benches for the winded and weary, circles the famed rock. The view is spectacular, with towboats and barges churning along the river far below and the river valley stretching out for miles. Early man apparently thought so, too-archeological evidence indicates the rock has seen a steady stream of visitors for 5,000 years.

About 15 miles of trails connect Starved Rock's bluffs and lush, sylvan canyons. Following the river trail east, we climbed to Lover's Leap Overlook (more steps), Eagle Cliff Overlook and Beehive Overlook. All provide calendar picture panoramas of the wide river valley.

During the snowmelt and spring rains, sparkling waterfalls plunge over the tops of the park's 18 canyons. You'll find some of the longer-lasting falls in French, La Salle and Ottawa canyons. Spring-fed falls in St. Louis Canyon usually flow throughout the summer.

The park offers picnicking and camping, along with fishing, boating and canoeing on the Illinois. Horses and canoes can be rented. Montreal Canoe Weekend, June 11 and 12, features a French voyageurs encampment and rides in a "Montreal Canoe."

The recently-renovated Starved Rock Lodge and Conference Center, built in part by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, offers dining and lodging. We topped off lunch with a visit to the lodge's cavernous Great Room, where the huge log beams, massive stone fireplace and Native American art created a perfect atmosphere to savor our park experience.

Starved Rock's immense popularity tends to overshadow other area attractions. Just a mile to the south, we discovered uncrowded Matthiessen State Park, with a lovely milelong, wooded canyon and a replica of a log fort, built in the style of the 17th-Century French forts. The park has picnic and playground areas, with 7 miles of hiking trails leading into the canyon and along the Vermilion River, which borders the park's southern edge.

Returning to the north bank of the river, we followed Dee Bennett Road east to Buffalo Rock State Park, where five huge effigy mounds line the bluff tops. Titled "Effigy Tumuli," the massive earthen sculpture is the work of artist Michael Heizer and includes a catfish (770 feet long), a water strider, a frog, a turtle and a 2,070-foot-long snake.

Gravel trails wind through the mounds, but seen from eye level, the figures are difficult to make out. Still, the sheer magnitude of the sculpture is worth seeing, and the park has picnic areas and scenic views.

Backtracking on Dee Bennett Road, we stopped at the Illinois Waterway Visitor Center, at Starved Rock Lock and Dam, to watch towboats and barges slide through the lock.

Until 60 years ago, rapids and shallows prevented commercial navigation on the upper Illinois River. Between 1920 and 1933, eight dams were built on the river, raising the water level to create the deep-water navigation channel that allows barge traffic to move between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River.

Visitor center observation areas provide close views of boats in the lock, and models, dioramas and other exhibits explain the waterway's history and the workings of the locks and dams. (Guided lock and dam tours are offered at 11:30 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday from Memorial Day to Labor Day.)

Our last stop was in Utica (population: 850), gateway to Starved Rock and one-time stop on the Illinois and Michigan Canal, a 19th-Century waterway that moved passengers and freight between Chicago and La Salle in wooden barges pulled by horses.

We discovered a section of the old canal at the south edge of Utica's blocklong business district, behind the La Salle County Historical Society Museum. Housed in a former canal warehouse, the museum offers a wealth of local history exhibits, including a carriage and silver tea service used by Abraham Lincoln, 19th-Century quilts, and paintings depicting the village during the canal's heyday.